I have approached my preaching calendar a little differently this year. My plan this year is to preach through shorter thematic and expository series on Sundays, rather than doing an extended, sequential exposition of a book of the Bible. (I intend to pick up the exposition of Ephesians I began last year in April, during our midweek services.). This Sunday, I am preparing to begin a six-part series entitled, “Resolved! Taking Advantage of a New Beginning.” During the new year, many people began to think about making changes in their lives. Often, the commitments they make to change are expressed...

We emphasize world missions on fifth Sundays at MSMBC. Sunday was also the last day of 2006. With both factors in mind, I chose to preach Sunday on Psalm 67 – The Missionary Psalm. It is a prayer for personal blessings with the goal that it will result in the worldwide praise and worship of the Lord God. Here is the sermon skeleton of the message:Title: “Embracing God’s Mission for Your Life”Text: Psalm 67Theme: The Missionary PsalmPoint: God desires to use your life to reach the world for his glory.Outline:I. God wants to use you so that the world might...

The Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, where Dr. Melvin V. Wade pastors, hosts their annual “Prayer Bowl” each year on New Year’s Day. This is an all-day worship service with preaching, prayer, and praise. If I am correct, Pastor Wade has been hosting this event every year since he has been pastor of Mt. Moriah, which would be more the thirty years now. I remember attending this meeting when I was a boy preacher. I would be squeezed into one of the back rows with my other young preacher buddies. And we would stay the whole day...

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)

I heard one of his best sermons I have heard all year long this past Sunday. Phil Placenti, one of the associate pastors of Mt. Sinai who leads our children’s department, preached his “annual” December sermon. I am usually on vacation the week after my pastoral anniversary. And in most recent years, Phil has ended up preaching for me on the third Sunday in December. So we just consider this Sunday his annual spot. Sunday, Phil preached a message on Matthew 5:33-37 entitled, “Tell the Truth.” It was a clear, challenging, and convicting message taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the...

In the midst of all that has been going on these past weeks, I have failed to note several days in December that have a deep personal significance for me.12/10 – Sunday, December 10, we celebrated my sixteenth anniversary as pastor of Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. My friend, Romell Williams, who pastors the Lilydale Baptist Church in Chicago, preached our two Sunday morning services. And my pastor, Dr. Melvin V. Wade Sr., who leads the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Los Angeles, preached the afternoon service. Likewise, some of the “Sons of Sinai,” my brothers, joined...

The past several weeks have been quite eventful for me and my family, to say the least. The day after Thanksgiving, my father-in-law became ill at our home. And our family went through an almost two-week vigil, praying for his recovery. The reports we received about his condition seemed to change from day to day – one day good, one day bad. Ultimately, the Lord had the last say. And the Lord chose to call dad home this past Friday. This has been a tragic loss for us. But we praise God for dad’s salvation, for which we had prayed...

I have many reasons to be grateful today - health, strength, family, friends, provisions… But here are seven primary reasons I have to especially give thanks to God for his goodness to me.Life: I thank God that he has spared and sustained my life through another year. As I grow older (and more mature, I hope), I am experiencing an increasingly greater sense of my own mortality. I am still a young man. And I trust I have many more years to live and serve God. But I am also aware that life is “a mist that appears for a...

From my family, to yours, "Happy Thanksgiving!""Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" - Psalm 100:4"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31"Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" - 2 Corinthians 9:15"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:17"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of GOd in Christ Jesus for you."...

This past Friday night, the Pastor’s Aide Team of Los Angeles honored me as their “Pastor of the Year.” The service was held at MSMBC. And several pastoral colleagues and sister churches were here to encourage me and others pastors. I deeply appreciated the kind gestures. But, most of all, I really appreciated the presence of Mt. Sinai. I have served this congregation for almost sixteen years. They are the ones who really know what kind of pastor I am, good or bad. But even though I enjoyed the service, it was rather draining for me. Being in those kind...

Here is the sermon skeleton from Sunday's message:Title: "You Can Trust the Bible"Text: Psalm 119:137-144Theme: The trustworthiness of the word of GodPoint: You can trust the Bible.Outline:I. You can trust the Bible because it is the word of God (119:137-138).A. The righteous source of scripture is God (v. 137).B. The righteous substance of scripture is faithful (v. 138).II. You can trust the Bible in every situation (119:139-141).A. It is worthy of your zeal (v. 139).B. It is worthy of your love (v. 140).C. It is worthy of your remembrance (v. 141).III. You can trust the Bible to provide what you...

Early in my pastoral ministry, a wise professor warned me to make sure my preaching was more like roots than like pipes. The water and other nutrients a tree or plant needs are found passes through the roots. And as the roots feed the tree, the roots themselves become stronger. However, water passes through pipes without the water benefiting the pipes in any way. The water helps others, but not the pipes. In fact, the longer the water passes through the pipes, the more rust and decay corrupt the pipes. So those of us who preach and teach the word...